Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category

Focus on Long-Tail Keywords – Not Generic Ones.

When writing content for your blog or corporate site, it is very important not to jam a ton of keywords into a single blog post. Instead, focus on 1-2 keywords for each ariticle. It’s best to limit your amount of keywords to this number because 1) search engines like google and bing will actually penalize your post if it looks like you are jamming tons of keywords, and 2) it will keep you focused on a goal for your article or post. Of course more than one keyword may appear in your post; but the overall goal of the post should be focused enough to allow you to spend more time optimizing for just one or two targeted keywords.

Long-tail keywords may also be more efficient to use since your website visitors searching long-tail terms will often be more qualified then users searching for a generic term.

Where are the most SEO juicy parts of your posts to include these terms so you rank high in google? There are 4 important places where you should try to include your keywords:

a) Page Title

The title of your blog post should for sure include your keywords, but try to keep your long-tail keyword under 80 characters. The title of your article will be a search engine’s and reader’s first step in determining how relevant and important your content is, so including a keyword here is imperative.

b) Body

Mention your keywords at a normal pace throughout your post — don’t jam it in as many times as you possible can. Search engines like google will penalize any post they believe is using keyword mentions too many times for a particular keyword, so this requires close attention in your writing process.

c) URL

Search engines also look at your URL to figure out what your post is about. Your URL should reflect your title and content, so make sure the keywords you use are relevant to the article. If you have to trim your article URL down, make sure you keep your keywords in it.

d) Meta Description

Later in this blog article, we will get deeper into explaining meta descriptions. Your meta description is there to give search engines and your website users information about your blog post’s content. So be sure to use your long-tail term clearly here so Google and your website audience are well aware of the post’s content, but also keep in mind that how engaging the content matters for your conversion rates.

Include Meta Optimizations.

Meta optimization is not limited just to meta descriptions. Your page meta description is the additional text that appears on the search results that lets the user know what the link is all about.

meta-description
The meta description is important because it gives your readers information they need to decide whether or not your content is what they are looking for.

Your meta description should include the long-tail keyword you are trying to rank on google for, because if you are doing blogging right, it’s representative of the contents of your article.

Optimize your Images.

Your blog posts should not only contain text for SEO targeting – you should also have images that help explain your page content. Search engines don’t just look for images they look for images with alt text embedded in them.

You can figure out an image’s alt text by placing your cursor over an image and a small box will appear that describes your image

Don’t use too many Headings.

Headings can help organize your blog content but you can overuse them and then they can actually be harmful to your rankings. If you have too many similar headings you will be penalized by search engines for having duplicate content.

Use URL structures that help your visitors.

The URL structure of your website should make it very simple for your visitors to understand the structure of your site and what content they are trying to find. Search engines love URL structures that make it simple for them and your website users to understand the content of that page.

For exmaple: “forcefive.ca/blog/ottawa-seo-tips-for-website-owners” makes much more sense then “forcefive.ca/blog?=askjfnejnferiuf87yr4r”

Re-branding your company’s logo should be one of the most carefully thought-out decisions you ever make for your business. Hastily adopting a new logo design can backfire for your image and may literally cost you customers. On the other hand, using re-branding properly can generate new revenue for you and open markets you’d struggled to break into with your old brand.

Are You Simplifying or Complicating your Brand?

Remember that golden rule with logo design – “Less is More”. You want iconic and memorable, while being easily replicable for whatever purpose you might need. It must look good on screen, print, and large scale. If you’ve been using a one-color design for two decades, don’t hustle your way into a multi-color design.

What are the most memorable logos you can think of? Nike comes quickly to mind and is always in the global top 10. The ‘ nike swoosh’ is easily modified by color and placement but remains constant in its simple form. Nike knows better than to risk that, and you should too.

On the other hand you can see that Apple has steadily progressed from a complicated illustration of Isaac Newton to a rainbow colored apple to today’s very simple mono-tone fruit. It’s bold, striking, and I would be very surprised if they ever changed it again.

Do You Have Something to Lose?

If you’re a brand new company that hasn’t managed to build a base then maybe a new logo is the right choice, especially if you didn’t love your first iteration. But that’s also where you went wrong — don’t launch until you’re 100 percent ready and happy with your brand. By the time you’re thinking about changing your logo, a good business should have something to lose.

People will recognize your logo, especially in an age of online marketing and social media. Completely changing your look can confuse customers and you risk loosing them.

Has Your Company Shifted Its Focus?

If your firm has changed its focus from one solution to another, then perhaps a logo that better describes what you do would be better. These are just a few reasons why you may change your logo.

Are You Passionate About Your New Design?

Your logo is the face of your firm. Get it right the first time and dont settle. Use a good Ottawa design firm that has a reputation for designing high end logo designs.

Blogging is a fantastic way to create value to your website customers. But there is another major plus of online blogs – they naturally attract search engine traffic. Blogs already have optimized site architecture – meaning the way they are setup (or should be setup if done properly) makes them highly visibly and indexed by search engines. Most are set up with a clear navigation, where every page is set up to link back to the other main pages. They also have the inherent potential to be well-linked.

Blog Directories and Site Submission

If you haven’t already submitted your blog to some free directories, you are missing out on some great one-way links. But before you start searching for them and submitting, you should know a a few tips on how to optimize your blog. Then your new articles can help your site get the best keyword placement in the major search engines.

Blogs and SEO – Keywords

You have a choice to make. You can target a really general high traffic keyword you have little chance of ranking well for and get barely any traffic. Or you can shoot for a keyword that gets a moderate level of targeted traffic resulting in more leads and sales. They may not get you the most traffic, but they often bring the most profit. Keywords like this can be determined using any number of traffic estimating tools out there. The good ones also show the level of competition for any given keyword.

More Web Site Traffic and More Sales? Not Always

You may be surprised to learn that there isn’t always a correlation between high traffic and high sales. Many of the most profitable sites in the world get moderate traffic because their lucrative keywords result in a much higher ratio of visitors to buyers. Keep this in mind when writing blog articles and target more specific keyword strings when possible. Adding a local spin to your blog titles and content may be that difference. For example instead of targeting “Nike Shoes” if you target “Ottawa Nike Shoe Store” you will get much less traffic, but anyone who does find it and clicks on it surely is a highly targeted user.

Length of Search Query is a Factor

A recent article in Information Week stated that the highest conversion rates from search engine traffic comes from people who do four word queries. The great thing about your blog is that it can get so well-indexed that you have the potential to show up for any number of four word phrases that are relevant to your industry.

Target Your Blog for More Traffic and Sales

Targeting your blog discussion to a two or three word phrase that has a high yield of traffic, and yet has little competition, is not a dream of past Internet days. Another recent study revealed that surprisingly high percentages of search engine queries debuted as late as 2004. As long as there are new developments, new products, services and trends, you’ll never have a shortage of these terms if you learn how to discover them.